God’s own gardens: why churchyards are some of our wildest nature sites

It's a micro-national park for creatures. Quiet, peaceful and often ancient, the land beyond the church gate is often some of the most biodiverse in the UK, providing a home for many species that otherwise could no longer exist in the countryside, including the now rare bee orchid. Alexander Turner discovers the Living Churchyards project, which promotes the intrinsic value of biodiversity and helps local clerics to use the church land to benefit nature.